TIL in 1986 a Hotel in Singapore collapsed. Authorities were using heavy machinery to rescue survivors, a team of mainly Irish tunneling experts working on a new subway saw what was happening, and convinced authorities to let them tunnel for survivors instead. 17 people were rescued by them.

3 comments

1. I wanted to study structural engineering at one point and read up heavily about it and came across this case. The engineer fucked up badly.

2. Ireland has tunnelling experts and we still don’t have a metro. That’s my takeaway.

3. Some money in the tunnels. Hard work, but they do make a penny.